Beauty Is More Than Love Edmund Burke Analysis

Is it better for a ruler to be feared or loved? Edmund Burke in his “A Philosophical Inquiry into the Origins of Our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful,” does a wonderful job of explaining the differences in the sublime and the beautiful, also phrased as feared and loved, respectively. Based upon Edmund Burke’s writings, he would agree with the statement that it is better to be “feared than loved” as a ruler. Also, his answer would not remain the same for males as well as females. These statements are fortified by the definitions and the qualities of both the sublime and the beautiful, and the differences between the two sexes. What is the sublime? According to Burke, “the passion caused by the great and sublime in nature, when those
Edmund Burke stated in his essay that, “by beauty, I mean that quality, or those qualities in bodies, by which they cause love, or some passion similar to it” (Burke, Part III, Section 1). In this, Burke is saying that beauty is love, but love is not desire or lust. According to him, beauty is also not proportion, fitness or even perfection. He also proclaims that “beauty is, for the greater part, some quality in bodies acting mechanically upon the human mind by the intervention of the senses” (Burke, Part III, Section 12). This states that beauty is qualities within bodies that strike other’s attention through their senses. Qualities of beauty within art include: delicate, bright, imperfection, and muted colors. Burke describes beauty as “in a soft and delicate manner: and how far sweet or beautiful sounds agree with out descriptions of beauty in other senses” (Burke, Part III, Section 25). Furthermore, the qualities of beauty in music are as follows: quiet, clear, smooth, and limited variety or as Burke puts it “the beautiful in music will not hear that loudness and strength of sounds, which may be used to raise other passions; nor notes which are shrill, or harsh, or deep; it agrees best with such as are clear, even, smooth, and weak” (Burke, Part III, Section
A ruler with more sublime qualities will be a better leader for their kingdom. Rulers’ tend to have characteristics that are awe-inspiring, worthy of admiration and demand respect. These qualities correlate to the sublime, also known as fear, where as if a ruler was to be loved, or be beautiful, they would tend to be innocent, imperfect, and safe. Therefore, based upon Burke’s definitions, rulers should be feared. Furthermore, Burke states that “wheresoever we find strength, and in what light soever we look upon power, we shall all along observe the sublime the concomitant of terror, and contempt the attendant on a strength that is subservient and innoxious” (Burke, Part II, Section 6). This is saying that wherever one finds power, they find strength and observe all the qualities of the sublime. Moreover, when Burke talks about power within his “A Philosophical Inquiry into the Origins of Our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful,” he reassures that authority figures are more qualified when they possess sublime